Daily Devotions for Caregivers

  I got up this morning after a long night that included very little sleep for me or Chris! Of course, I'm exhausted - but what's new? As caregivers we are usually on the edge of it or swimming in it all the time, right? lol There are tons of sayings about the sun coming up on each new day - but to most of us - each day looks pretty much the same as the day before. Even the unexpected happens every day - we are always ready for it. The fact that everything can change on a dime at any given moment in time is the only "constant" we have sometimes. lol So,, I'm not sure what to make out of these "new days." They tend to look like "just another day" to me. I know the scriptures say His mercies are new every morning , right? (Lamentations 3:23) But it's never "morning" for God - it's always day. More accurately it's always today for Him. So why would we need to know that His mercies renew for us each morning?  Sometimes, I find...

 Change is inevitable as we ride out the waves of caregiving. Even though we figure out a way to survive from day to day, the unexpected can occur at any time. These can be little, big, or huge! We just sort of learn to roll with the tide, don't we? The tougher part is that our emotions can roll with those tides too. Maybe there's a big swell of sadness, grief, or happiness. Then we may dip down to despair or despondency. We just never really know, for real! But we just keep riding it out day after long day. But you know what's cool? God rides it out with us. He is big enough to carry us and keep us secure in all the rolls and turns of caregiving. No matter how high or low the tides of emotions go, no matter how joyous or sad a day becomes, and no matter how difficult or easy navigating the day-to-day is - He is big enough to handle it. He's big enough to handle my emotions, my tears, my joys, my everything-in-between. We literally never have to worry about if He has th...

Is it just me or does it feel like the world is warring against the soul constantly? Lately, I've stayed off Facebook because of the hostile environment it can be. For the first few years of my caregiving journey, it was my entertainment and social outlet. It's changed a lot - and so have I so I avoid it most of the time. I was thinking of the things we see go across there and the media this morning and it made me thankful for my caregiver's cave. I can hide away and not see the horrible state the world is in. In my devotions this morning, I was reading 2 Timothy 3 about the last days.  It describes where we are to a T. But while I was reading through there, my eyes landed on a verse I had marked on the other side of my Bible page. It's chapter 2, verse 13. It says this If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. I was glad I "found" it as it allowed my mind to travel a different avenue. I thought about this foundational truth - H...

1 Peter 2:23 tells us that when Jesus suffered He did so without "uttering threats." I take it that He didn't yell back at His accusers or tormentors. He didn't tell them what He could do to them; and He suffered in silence. I can honestly say that I have not  done that! I've said some pretty harsh things through this furnace and particularly during those really long nights. The load can become so heavy for caregivers that we speak from our pain or frustration. Many times, we don't really  mean what we say - but in many cases, they are things that should never be uttered. Jesus, our example, did not speak out of turn, out of pain, and offered no complaint. He simply entrusted Himself to Him who judges righteously.  Caregivers deal with constant pain and grief in many cases. If we follow the example our leader gave us - we are constantly presenting our pain and our situation to our Father. And we must let Him judge. Those who are on the outside of the Caregiv...